Operation: CLOWN
by Gamewizard2008
Summary: Children have mysteriously been going missing from around the world lately. When Nolan's son is suddenly among them, Sandman is on the case. And as Nolan searches for this mysterious captor, he may just learn a few things.
1. Caesar's Escape

**OH MY GOD, I just realized there was an "Operation: C.L.O.W.N." in the actual _Kids Next Door_ series! Heh heh, oh well, ANYWAY, hey guys, welcome to another story, which ONCE again crosses over with _One Piece_. (Yeah, you know how _Kid Icarus_ was the main crossover of Viridi Saga? Well, _One Piece_ is the central crossover here.) Anyhoo, LET'S begin!**

* * *

**_A Failed Execution! Caesar's Escape!_**

**G.U.N. H.Q., around 22 years ago**

Nighttime at GUN H.Q.. It was just another ordinary day as Commander Gunkan marched down the halls of his base, his face serious and stern. He approached two soldiers, who saluted, standing on either side of a black-haired man, in sunglasses and a thick white coat. The man spoke in a calm, quiet tone. "Gunkan-san…"

"Evening, General Vergo." Gunkan nodded. "I assume you've brought the prisoner?"

"Yes… he is right there." His head directed to the doorway.

The doors slid open as a group of soldiers marched in, pulling an up-right stretcher with a man strapped to it. _"Shurororororo."_ He was a white-skinned man in a blackish-purple jumpsuit, with yellow polka dots. He had short, thick black hair, purple lips, and psychotic yellow eyes. On his head were strange goat horns, and he wore dark-blue gloves with the letters "CC".

"Shurororororo." The man laughed wickedly, wearing a wide, crazy grin on his face as the men rolled him down the hall.

"The chi-blocking cuffs are on him, right?" Gunkan asked.

"Yes." Vergo assured as they walked along. "We can't have _him_ running loose without them."

"Heeey, Vergo! How's the WIFE doing? ?" The prisoner asked excitedly. "Whoops! Sorry, wrong person! Shurororo!"

The group walked down several more halls as the man continued to speak. "Whoa, I really NEED to get me some new shoooes!" He looked at his dark-blue slip-on shoes and shook his feet. "A new suit, too! And maybe longer hair! I really am a slave to trends, shuroROROrororo!..."

"…and I said, Mark Hamill? ? Well, what's wrong with my JAPANESE voice actor? ! I mean, it's GREAT that I sound like a Joker, but-"

"-…and when did I AGREE to take part in some crummy writer's fanfic?" He rambled as they finally came to a stop in a small room. "I mean, if this is the crap that PAYS, I demand to see a script first, 'cause _I_-"

"QUIET, Clown!" Gunkan demanded with a hateful look. "Now tell me…" Rage burned in Gunkan's eyes as he held a darksaber to the man's neck, "How did you manage to produce 10,000 gallons of BANG Gas? ?"

"Ooooh it's all part of BUSINESS, Gunny! And a good magician never reveals secrets SHUROrororo!"

"TELL ME who you've been selling it to! !" Brett demanded.

"Mum's the word, Gunny HOOHOO! I wouldn't dare sell a customer's private information! _There should be a penalty for blackmailing, don't you think?_"

"QUIT kidding around, Clown! There's one last thing: is there a metahuman ANTIDOTE?"

"ANTIDOTE? ! ShuroROROROrororo!" Gunkan gritted his teeth as Clown laughed. "Actually…" Clown looked at him with a smirk, "a certain SPIRIT may be what you're afterrrr… BUT: you didn't hear it from MEEEE!"

"Uuuuh…" Gunkan sighed in exhaust. "Then it's time we ridded YOUR mutated mug from the world as well. MEN: READY weapons." The soldiers in the room took aim at Clown.

"So I'm GUESSING those swords are just for SHOW then." Clown guessed.

"On my mark: 3… 2… 1…"

"SURPRIIIISE! !"

Vergo immediately punched Gunkan in the face, knocking him down before attacking more soldiers. The remaining soldiers gasped in shock, taking aim on Vergo and letting fire. "Armament." Vergo spoke, and the bullets had no effect on his iron-like body. Vergo wiped all the soldiers out in seconds, and he and Clown were the only ones still conscious.

"ShuroROROrorororo!" The prisoner laughed as Vergo walked over with a key, using it to unshackle Clown's wrists and legs. The white-skinned man stood up, rubbing his wrists. "Well, a little OFF, but… I still give you a 9.5 outta 10! Oh, I KNEW I could count on you, Vergo!"

"Of course… _Master Caesar_."

* * *

**Now loading…**

**Kids Next Door mission…**

**Operation:**

**C.L.O.W.N.**

**Clown's**

**Looney**

**Operations**

**Will**

**'Naugurate**

**Loading transmission…**

* * *

**And so begins the newest in the Big Mom Saga. Introducing Caesar Clown, aka _One Piece_'s version of Joker! Which is ironic because, Caesar's master is Doflamingo, who's NICKNAME is Joker! XD Ahhhh, isn't Batman fun to rip off. And SPEAKIN' of rippin' off Batman, this is a Sandman story! XD Next time, more adventures with Nolan! Llllater! (Also, don't worry, I'll get back to _Operation: FROST_ soon. I'm just workin' off writer's block.)**

**…**

**…**

**_Spoiler alert: Caesar holds power in his true name. If you think you know his true name, DON'T say it!_**


	2. Missing Children

**Well, guys, while I'm having writer's block on _RECLAIM_ (no surprise), we're gonna write _CLOWN_! Why, because… well, this story plot is generally better, as you're soon gonna see. ;I Heeere we go!**

* * *

**_Mysterious Men! Dillon and Friends Ship Off!_**

**Uncharted Island; Pacific Ocean**

The playroom was packed with frolicking children of many shapes and sizes. No, I'm not referring to their ages. They ranged from the size of pennies to bigger than houses. As for their shapes, there were many races, like humans, Lilliputians, Kateenians, Minish, Gargoyles, Nimbi, even Merpeople. Some of the smaller characters were riding the bigger characters, cheering as the giants ran around. They were also playing hide-and-seek, with the smaller ones hiding, and some giants threw a little ball to each other from across the room.

The doors swung open, and they immediately ceased their activities. A man and a woman walked in, and the man cheered, "HELLO, kids!"

Their smiles were wide. "Master Caesar! !"

There was Caesar Clown, his yellow eyes shining with trust as he gave his wide grin. He looked much different than he did 2 decades ago: his black hair was much longer and wider, and he now wore a yellow jumpsuit with black, diagonal stripes. But it was barely seen, as he also wore a new, oversized, bright-pink open coat, with the word "GAS" written on both sides. However, it emitted a creepy, eerie sound and waved around like gas. That's because it wasn't a physical coat, but rather a gas-made coat Caesar conjured up himself.

The kids approached him excitedly as he pulled out a syringe. "Time for your daily blood tests!" He began to lightly extract blood from everyone.

The smaller children were gathered around Caesar's henchwoman, Monet, a slim woman with grass-green hair, sharp yellow eyes, and bird wings and talons. She wore a green, bellybutton tank-top that read "Happy". After she extracted blood from a doll-sized Minish (much bigger than their natural size), it lovingly rubbed against her wing. "You're soft, Monet." It blushed.

_"Can we go for a ride on you?"_ a smaller Minish asked.

"Hm-hm-hm, maybe later, kids." The woman smiled as several Minish and Kateenians already began climbing on her. "It's almost your bedtime… Oh!-" she perked when a Kateenian slipped down her shirt. "Hm hm hm!" she lightly picked it out, giggling.

"Will we ever get better, Master Caesar?" a human-sized Kateenian asked. "It's been 5 years."

"I'm certain it won't take long." Caesar still grinned. "But for being so patient, here's more candy!" His smile widened as he held up a piece of butterscotch.

"CANDYYY!" The children excitedly ran up to grab a piece.

While they did so, no one noticed the blue-and-yellow, confused rabbit walk behind some giant blocks and observe the playroom. "Gyom-gyooom?"

As soon as everyone got butterscotch, Caesar and Monet returned to the hallway. "They've gotten so lovable." The werebird woman said gleefully.

"Yes, but their blood results are all the same. It's just not enough!" Caesar swung his fists in rage. "I need something that'll really up my Underground Bang Gas Business! What WE need are BENDERS!"

"Hm hm, the two of us are benders."

"We've already got our fill, Monet, as you can see. We need to collect more! If I could mix bender blood with my SAD, I could develop Bang Gas that actually GIVES people BENDING! _Then_ Caesar will be rolling in the dough, shurorororororo!" Caesar's devious grin grew wider, "And I think I know just the person to talk to."

**Quahog Bank; 10:30p.m.**

Nighttime at Quahog, Rhode Island. Things were peaceful in town, and the bank was totally empty. Of course, anyone that lived here would know that's never true. A hole opened up on the floor as a squad of shadowed men climbed out. They approached the safe as one of the men bended some water out of a bottle, using it to slice the lock until it was open. Inside, piles of dollars and gold coins sparkled before their eyes, lighting the gangsters up. "They's enuff dough in here ta last us next year!" The leader of the bunch, a chubby man, said. "Tha's not nearly enough." He smirked. "We'll hit the old rich guy's mansion, too."

They flinched when they heard glass breaking in the bank's lobby. They raised their guard, seeing three figures approach: a slim woman with a staff and purple robe, a blue-robed man in a metal Eskimo mask, and a familiar vigilante in a trench coat, gas mask, and wheelchair. "Lightning Bolt Zolt." The Sandman spoke with a fierce tone.

"Well, if it ain't Joe Swanson." Zolt smiled wittingly. "You oughta be savin' your cash for new legs, not fixin' broken windows."

"His name is Sandman, Zolt." Wiccan corrected, twirling her staff. "And we only play using justice."

"Please don't ever say that again." Coldman remarked, shaking his head.

"Well, we're usually gone before they catch us, anyway."

"Da three of you against all-a us?" Zolt asked. "We ain't no Triple Threats, pallies: we Quintuple Threats. Get 'em, boys." And with that, the Quintuple Threat Triads began to attack the heroes.

An earthbender stomped and flung rocks at Wiccan, which she narrowly avoided as she dodged over and beat the Triad with her staff. Two waterbenders tried to freeze her, but Coldman surfed overhead on an ice path and sprayed them with his ice pack, freezing them solid. Two shadowbenders crept up to Sandman and pulled him in their Shadow Veil, but Wiccan called, "Lumos Harem!", brightening the place with sunlight and forcing the shadows to come up, allowing Sandman to beat them.

Sandman was caught by surprise when three fearbenders stunned him with a Fear Scream, but Coldman froze the floor under their feet and made them slip and fall. Sandman backed away when three firebenders began to blast them, but Wiccan switched her staff to blow ice as she kept the flames back and froze them. "You know, that's kinda pointless when I can just freeze things myself." Coldman commented.

"And what are the odds of you getting chi-blocked?" Wiccan responded.

"Youse guys are gonna regrets doin' that." Zolt smirked. "'Cause Ah'm puttin' you in for a shock." The man twirled his hands as lightning sparked from his fingertips. Sandman faced him from several feet away, and the crippled man had to dodge his chair left and right as Zolt started to shoot quick lightning bolts.

"Siiigh, no good. Gotta make this quick." Sandman said. He continued to dodge, his chair making little spins upon each landing, and during one of the lands, it faced up slightly, so Sandman hit the boosts and flung upward, landing forcefully atop the gang leader and knocking him on his back. Nolan kept the man down as he dealt a forceful punch to Zolt's face, knocking him clean out.

Minutes later, the bank was surrounded by cops as Zolt and the Triads were given chi-blocking cuffs and loaded onto trucks. There was snow falling everywhere, as it was still winter.

The heroes, Nolan, Yuki, and Crystal watched from the rooftops. "I still don't see why I fly _all_ the way down to Quahog from Iceland every night to help you with stuff." Yuki complained.

"Because you _love_ us, Yuki." Crystal winked.

"Yeah, well… I gotta be off now. Later." With that, Yuki soared away on an ice road.

"Ahhh, always in a hurry." Crystal sighed. "I would be, too, if _I_ had a family to go to. I don't suppose you have any more plans tonight?"

"No-pe. Had to miss dinner again… so I should probably head back. Same time tomorrow, Crystal." And with a wave, Nolan swung away on his grappling hook.

"Siigh, well I may as well watch how this plays out." Crystal sighed as she sat down, watching the cops finish their business.

Officer Joe Swanson rolled over to observe the broken window, and he yelled, "Alright, WHOEVER broke this, I'm not paying for it!"

"Well, it is a bank!" Crystal grinned as she flew away.

**York Household**

The minute Nolan York rolled in, Danika was there to greet him. "Ahh, finally, you're home! Kiiids, wake up, dinneeerr!"

Vanellope was asleep on the couch, but woke up at her adoptive-mother's call. "Oooh, finally, steak and beans with ketchup!" she cheered as she glitched to the kitchen.

"Oo- Wait- I thought dinner was 2 hours ago?" Nolan questioned.

"That was before I decided to reschedule so YOU could join us!" Danika grinned.

"Good thing shadowbenders are nocturnal." Dillon said as he came downstairs, rubbing his eyes.

The four took a seat at the table and began to cut their steaks. "So who got busted this time?" Danika asked.

"Ehh, it's just those Triads again." Nolan answered. "Bank sure has a lot happenin', huh?"

"Gotta love how different benders are able to come together." Dillon commented.

"Hey, Mr. York!" Vanellope perked up. "Can I put on your cyborg body? ! Just for a bit!"

"You mean my wheelchair?"

"Oh, is THAT what that is? ? I thought you were a cyborg and you take your body off!"

"Ha ha, nope! I was offered to be a cyborg, once."

"Yeah, but you upgrade one limb, your whole body loses its humanity." Danika mentioned. "That reminds me… you hear about all these kids goin' missing lately?"

"Yeah… what about 'em?" Nolan asked.

"Another bunch went missing from Water 7 several weeks ago. Eva did a news segment about it; apparently her daughter did surveillance there. It's so weird, though. Whaddyou think's happening to them?"

"Maybe they're being abducted by aliens!" Vanel exclaimed.

"Or maybe by that old guy who lives down the block." Nolan remarked, remembering John Herbert.

"Well, whoever's doing it, I bet Dad can find them!" Dillon said happily.

"Heh heh, I dun' think so. I'd rather mind business in my own city."

"That's not what Mr. Crystal does!" Vanellope winked.

"The only reason Yuki doesn't move here is because his daughter's in Sector IC. But it doesn't matter… I'm not Superman, so I can't be a hero in every little continent. I'm just a local hero, you know? We'll just have to let somebody else deal with it."

_"Laaaazy heroooo."_ Vanellope whisper-sang.

"Well, in other news, Leo and Katie are coming to visit for the weekend." Danika explained. "Which is good because Dillon gets to bond with his cousin!" she grinned. "But… get used to the bad smells, you guys."

"Ahhhhh." Dillon slumped his head against the table. He hated random, unfortunate news. Especially when it involved relatives he couldn't stand.

"Ahhh, don't worry." Danika smiled in assurance. "I'm sure you'll have a great time!"

"Well, there's always hope for a random adventure." Dillon said, eating another piece of steak.

**Water 7; Sector W7 Treehouse, the next day**

Another peaceful day at the treehouse in Water 7. The girls were doing their usual routine while Chimney was on the couch, playing with her new Gonbe doll. They heard a light squeak and looked to the tiny door, installed in their normal door, as Aeincha walked in. "Brr-rr-rr!" the tiny girl shuddered. "Why did it decide to snow in Water 7? ? It's always so warm, but when it snows, it's so cold! !"

"That's because you're so tiny!" Aisa grinned.

Apis walked over with a smile as she scooped her friend in both hands. "I'll warm you up, Aeinchan!" she said as she pressed Aeincha to her chest.

"I know! You can hug Gonbe!" Chimney grinned, holding up her stuffed doll. "He's sooper soft and cuddly!"

"Hm hm, thanks, Chimney!" Aeincha smiled. "But I'd like the real Gonbe better. Where is he, anyway?"

"Yeah." Apis agreed. "We haven't seen Gonbe in weeks. Is he okay?"

"Nnnn? Whatchu talkin' about, he's right here." Chimney held up her doll. "He's not as talkative."

"Chimney… that's the toy you got for Christmas." Apis pointed.

"Hnn?" Chimney was confused, but she kept her wide grin. She held the doll in both hands as she stared very, very closely. The stuffed doll was totally immobile. It didn't move an inch. His grinning expression didn't change… but his eyes showed no life. …Chimney finally realized: (Play "Escape" (the second part) from _One Piece_.)

"AAAAAHH! !" Chimney began to freak out. "GONBE'S GOOOOONE! ! !"

"YOU JUST NOW REALIZED THAT? !" the girls screamed.

Right away, Chimney frantically scampered about the treehouse, checking every nook and cranny. "Gonbe? !" under her pillow. "Gonbe? !" in the fridge. "Gonbe? !" on the roof. "Gonbe? !" the cereal box. "Gonbe? !" under a discarded bolt. "Gonbe? ! Gonbe? ! Gonbe? ! Gonbe? ! Gonbe? !"

She checked under every random object, no matter how tiny, and finally returned to her friends. "Aaaaah! ! Where did I leave my little neko-chan? !" she started to pant heavily.

"Calm down, Chimney!" Aeincha yelled. "Maybe we'll ask around town if someone's seen him!"

"Or maybe someone caught him and slaughtered him into that doll." April said with her usual toneless voice, barely looking away from her canvas.

"HUH-" Just the thought of it made Chimney lose consciousness. The grinning child's eyes rolled upward as she fell on her back. The others shot disbelieved looks at April.

"…What. Just a thought." With that, April continued painting a picture of Chimney fainting. (End song.)

**Quahog Park**

"And then when Beat PUNCHED my face, the boogers got on his fist!" Kaleo Anderson exclaimed before bursting into laughter. "HA HA HA! He looked so gross! Right, Stewie? ?"

As they listened to this, needless to say, Dillon, Zach, and Maddy were disgusted. "Did we HAVE to bring that guy to hang out with us? ?" Maddy questioned.

"My mom wants us to bond." Dillon explained. "I don't see why. She hates her brother, too. …Except when he almost gets killed by a Vaporian. But we're pretty much stuck with him this weekend."

"Well-p: I guess we're not hanging out with YOU this weekend." Maddy decided.

"Ahh, why not, Mad?" Zach smiled. "He might be a poisonbender, but this guy's actually kinda fun!"

"Oh, gee, I wonder why?"

"Hey! Hey guys!" Kaleo perked up. "I can poke my brain! Check it out!" He stuck his pinky finger up his nose, and his left eye puffed like goo.

"EWWWW!" Dillon and Maddy screamed.

"Haha, cooool!" Zach smiled with wonder.

"Hey, Dillon!" The four kids looked over as Haruka hurried to them.

"Hey, Haruka! What's up?" Dillon greeted.

"My mom took Mason and Dad shopping. I didn't wanna go, and Lee was busy, so, I'm stuck with you!" she said perkily. "So who's your friend?"

"Ahem, Haruka, meet my cousin, Kaleo." Dillon introduced as Kaleo tried to pull his tongue out and stare closely at it.

"Uuuuuhhh." Haruka looked disbelieved. "He seems… nice. But hey, Dillon, I've been working on my Healing Sting!" she exclaimed. "I've been trying to build it up so I can fix any sort of injury!

"Cool! Maybe you can heal every metahuman that's ever existed!" Maddy retorted.

Haruka glared. "Ha. Anyway, I'd like to show you, but, I don't suppose any of you would be willing to sacrifice a good amount of skin?"

"Actually," Kaleo began, pointing at his crotch, "I have some kinda condition where-"

"EWWW, NOOO!" all four kids shielded eyes and raised hands in defense.

"Now that I think of it, didn't someone mention a seagull broke his wing down by the beach?" Zach asked.

"Well, it's better than nothing." Haruka smiled. "Let's go!" she hurried off first, followed by the others.

**York Household; sunset**

The sun was setting over Quahog. Nolan York saw this from the window as he began to grab his gear. "Well-p, time to go patrol soon." He said.

"Oooh, can I come with? ? ?" Vanellope asked excitedly.

"Heh, maybe when you're older." Nolan laughed. "Why don't you go find your brother, he shouldn't be out this late."

"But it's sunset! Don't shadowbenders like the sunset? ?"

"Maybe, but, he's still in training."

"Alllll RIGHT, then!" With that, the Program girl jauntily glitched off.

**Quahog Shore**

"Uuuugh. We've been looking for-EV-ER!" Maddy complained as they walked along a rocky shore.

"Yeah, where's this dead bird supposed to live?" Zach asked.

"It's not _dead_." Haruka corrected. "At least, I hope not."

"If it is, can I eat it?" Leo asked.

Dillon stopped walking as he looked to the sunset over the horizon. His brown eyes fixed on the beautiful orange skies. "Hmmm… I think I can find it." Dillon closed his eyes, and sensed the shadows around him. Not far away, he could sense a bird trapped helplessly under some rocks. "He's just over there!" he yelled and pointed. The kids jumped up a small hill as Dillon moved away some rocks.

There lay an unconscious, battered seagull, covered with dirt. "Awwww. Poor thing." Haruka said with sympathy.

"Hey, that looks like the bird I threw a rock at earlier!" Kaleo exclaimed. Immediately, he was met with hateful glares. "What?"

Haruka pressed fingers to its chest. "It's still alive. Well… now or never." And with that, the female poisonbender lightly stabbed her fingernails into its body.

The others watched with anxiety. Haruka's eyes were closed, as the girl focused intently. She carefully channeled the poisons around the bird's body. The seagull began to come to, as a result. It felt strength return to its wings. Its head was feeling less numb.

As Haruka released, the seagull was on its feet, giving happy chirps. _"Haaae! Hae! Hae!"_

"You did it!" Dillon cheered.

"Whoa! Not bad!" Even Maddy was impressed.

They watched with smiles as the seagull flew off over the horizon. "You did a great thing, Haruka…" Dillon spoke admiringly.

"Yeah…" Haruka couldn't believe it herself.

Unbeknownst to them, they were watched from alleyways on the shore's edge. _"Yep. They're benders, all right. Good ones, too, I think. The Master should like 'em."_

"You know, we should find _other_ injured animals." Haruka said as they headed back to the pier.

"Well, there's plenty of rocks back there!" Kaleo grinned. "I can-"

"NO YOU CAN'T!" they yelled at him.

"Hey, kids." They stopped and looked questioningly: a group of men dressed in yellow protective suits stood before them.

"Ummm…" Dillon stared confused.

"I'm sorry, but the five of you need to come with us."

"Come with you? Why?" Dillon asked.

"It's reached our attention you've caught a terrible disease. We're here to take you to a special doctor."

"You seem to be mistaken." Maddy spoke. "THOSE three have the disease. Me and Zach _don't_." The benders glared at her.

"Heh heh heh. I wish that were true."

"But we feel just fine." Haruka told him. "If we were sick, I would've felt it. I-"

"This isn't something one would normally feel. Even poisonbenders." Haruka raised a brow. "Look, kids, I know it sounds hard, but, if you return home, your parents would be affected, too. Just get on the boat, and, I promise, everything will be better."

The five, however, didn't trust them for a second. Well, except Kaleo. …However, this suddenly fascinated them. They were curious where these men came from. They wondered, did other children fall for their game? And, why did they want them? …Dillon's mind sparked with realization. He instantly knew, he HAD to go with them.

Moments later, they were on board the transport, and sailed off to the unknown. Vanellope had arrived at the pier as she searched the town confusedly. "DILLOOOON? HELLOOOO? WHERE ARE YOU, Silly Brains? Mario didn't run OFF again, did heeee? HELLOOOOO?"

* * *

**Hoooo, FINALLY! I haven't updated ANY of my current stories since Break started! Well, ACTUALLY, I have! In case you haven't noticed, I've been updating the GREATEST story of my series, _Legend of the Eight Firstborn_! And boy, after rereading and rewriting it again… hoho, I just remembered how GREAT it was! XD And now it's even BETTER! So when you have time, come along and read it! It's MUCH better than any of THIS! …Buuut, if you care about advancing storyline… well, READ IT ANYWAY! XD Anyway, next time, Nolan will realize what happened! Later!**


	3. The Search For Dillon

**Okay, everybody! Time to start lookin' for Dillon! Here we go!**

* * *

**_Kids Gone Missing! Search For the Mysterious Kidnapper!_**

**Downtown Quahog**

Night had fallen over Quahog. Snow was falling fast from the cloudy sky. Nolan York and Crystal Wickens stood perched (sat in Nolan's case) atop the town buildings. Yuki Crystal arrived shortly after, and all dressed in their superhero outfits. "Ahhh, another day, another bank-rob." Wiccan joked.

"At least it's snowy out." Yuki noted. "Wouldn't mind any cold."

"Well, things seem pretty normal so far." Nolan observed. "Maybe I can actually get home regular dinner ti- wait a second." Something down the street caught Nolan's eye. He pulled out binoculars and looked closer. "Vanellope? ?"

The Program child was currently walking down the street, yelling, "DILLOOON? DIIILLOOOON?" The girl turned in to an alleyway, examining the dark shadows. "You in there? Dillon? Don't try and scare me now! You- WHOOOAAA!" She was immediately yanked up by a metallic hook.

Sandman hauled Vanellope onto the roof with them, and she screamed, "AAAAAHH ALIEN INVADERS PLEASE DON'T ABDUCT ME-"

Nolan slapped his gloved hand over her mouth. "Vanellope, it's _us_." He pulled his mask off, and Yuki and Crystal did the same.

"Mr. York? ! YOU guys are the aliens? !"

"What the- Nooooo! Vanel, I asked you to get Dillon an HOUR ago, what're you still doing out? ?"

"I can't find Dillon anywhere! And Kaleo's gone, too!"

"You can't?"

"Maybe he's at the Murphys' house." Crystal figured. "Wouldn't hurt to swing by, right?"

"Alright, let's drop by real quick, just in case." Nolan decided. He held Vanellope as he swung away with his grapple hook.

**Nolan's neighborhood**

The four hurriedly returned to the neighborhood, but right away, they found Doug and Gwen Murphy talking to Danika in her doorway. "Huh? What're they doing?" Nolan questioned.

The group hurried over as Danika noticed and waved at them. "Hey, guys! Zach and Maddy aren't at their house." She called. "Are they with Dillon and Kaleo?"

"Vanellope said she couldn't find them." Yuki responded.

"I keep telling you guys, the ALIENS are abducting them!" Vanellope yelled.

"ALIENS? !" Leopold stuck his head out the door in a frantic fashion. "THE ALIENS ARE COMING! ! AAAAH!-"

"SHUT UP, Leo!" Danika smacked him. "It's not like aliens are _new_ to us. Siiigh… alright, where were they last hanging out?"

"Hey, guys?" Katie then walked out, holding a phone. "Not to interrupt, but Yin called and said Haruka came over here. She wants to know if she's staying the night?"

"Uhhhh…" Danika was contemplating what answer to give Yin. She knew how Yin got. "Tell her 'Yeah', she's staying over to, um, practice bending with Kaleo."

"Okay, but um… she kinda heard you before."

_"WHERE'S MY BABY GIRL? !"_ the group winced at Yin's shout. _"IS SHE OKAY? ! If my daughter is in the hospital, I am docking SERIOUS pay out of you, Nolan York! ! DOOOCKIIIIIII-"_

Katie pressed the 'hang-up'. "We'll call her back."

"Siiigh, hokay, we better find those kids _fast_." Danika suggested.

"You know, I think something like this happened before." Gwen said, her head down in thought.

"Ohhhh that's right!" Danika beamed with remembrance. "_You_ two had a son that went missing… right?"

"Yeah. When I was pregnant with Zach and Maddy, our son Dwen mysteriously went missing." Gwen remembered. "The police gave up searching… they even got GUN to help, but they presumed him dead."

"I don't believe that." Danika replied.

"Regardless, this is the same matter all over again." Nolan deduced. "I didn't want to make it my problem… but since they've come to our town, it's personal. Danika, take Vanellope to bed. We'll be right back."

"Hey, why can't **I** come? ?" Vanellope yelled as the three heroes headed for the garage.

"Sorry, Vanel, but this might not be your usual Kids Next Door business."

"Uh, helLOOOO? There are KIDS going missing!"

"Just… stay safe. Okay?"

"Mmm-mmmmm." Vanellope frowned grumpily as Dani led her inside.

"So, what's your plan, anyway?" Crystal asked as they entered the garage.

"You'll see." Nolan assured.

**Sand Cave**

Nolan led them into a secret, underground cave beneath his house, where the lights flashed on and shone on a rotating, shiny, sand-colored vehicle. "Me and Wesley had this cave installed before he passed." Nolan explained. "This was his old car. The-"

"PLEASE don't say Sandmobile." Yuki eye-rolled.

"N…No!" Nolan denied.

"Then what's it called?" Crystal smirked.

"…It's the… uhhhh-" Her witty eyes bore into his skull, her arms folded, "FINE, it's the Sandmobile! Sigh, just get in."

_DANANANA!_ A 'Sandman' icon popped up from a spiraling background.

_Dana-nana-nana-nana, dana-nana-nana-nana SANDMAAAN!_

As a simple car was driving down the neighborhood road, part of the road suddenly popped up and knocked it back, and the Sandmobile sped out and shot down the road. "SORRYYYYY!" Nolan called to the driver.

**Over the sea**

The Sandmobile was conveniently equipped with wings, and was currently flying over the sea at high speed. "You STILL haven't told us where we're GOING." Crystal shouted.

"We're going to Water 7." Nolan responded. "Danika said that was where they last struck. Maybe we can find some clues."

"Yet, we COULDN'T search around your own town first." Yuki said, annoyed.

"The report says that more children were taken, and it's a relatively small town, so it should be easier to search for clues."

"Oooh, Water Seven!" Crystal perked up. "I've always wanted to see the giant fountain they have there! It's so…"

"Fascinating?" Yuki cocked a brow.

"Exactly!"

"Well, we don't have time to admire architecture." Nolan reminded. "We need to find some lead on who took the children. Let's go."

**Unknown Laboratory**

When the kids finally stepped off the ship, they found their selves in a long, damp, vacant hallway. "Move along, now." The suited men instructed. The five complied and walked the very long journey across the hall.

"Whaddyou think this is?" Haruka asked.

"This reminds me of _Brain Zombies 2_," Zach began, "when the aliens took the kids to the laboratory to have their brains extracted for coal-mining knowledge, and they were given to the zombies to help mine Xenon for its sugarcane, and-"

"Have you been talking to Mr. Ed again?" Maddy asked.

"What? He's cool!"

"Yeah, if you like green cheese." Dillon snickered.

"I LIKE GREEN CHEESE! !" Kaleo screamed.

Dillon winced. "Um… that's nice."

The five were eventually led to a laboratory, where a green-haired woman, with bird wings and bird legs, turned and smiled at them, pulling off yellow goggles. "Awww, look, they're here! Come on down, Master!"

They looked to a door on the left side, hearing footsteps as someone walked down the dark stairway. To their surprise, it was a black-haired man with white skin and goat horns, a huge, wavy pink coat over his form as he bore a wide, trusting grin. "Kiiiids! Helloooo!" He threw his arms out.

"Who're you?" Maddy asked, creeped out.

"Why, this is Master Caesar!" the bird woman introduced. "You stand before the greatest scientific genius in the world."

"I thought EGGMAN was the greatest scientific genius?" Dillon questioned.

"Nnn! THAT guy was an amateur! !" Caesar argued. "_I_ am the greatest genius in the world! For YEARS I've studied the causes and functions of human and alien genetics! Using my supreme poisonbending, I've delved DEEP into the research of mortal sicknesses, and seen UP CLOSE how it WORKS!"

"You're a… poisonbender?" Haruka asked.

"Nnnn that's right!" Caesar demonstrated, forming a gas cloud in his hand. "I have spent YEARS developing the art in unforeseen ways! …And that is why… it is my displeasure to tell you…" Caesar walked forward and knelt down, his mouth forming a frown. "Children… you have caught a TERRIBLE disease. A disease that is slowly sweeping many children across the cosmos. I was able to develop my poisonbending enough to be able to SENSE which children had it. And so, I sent my men to go about and bring them to me. But to keep from alarming any of the nearby townspeople, I had you all taken away in private. Your parents shan't be alarmed! No matter how long it takes, I will keep treating you until I can HEAL this disease!" He grinned with assurance.

"Now, if you all would be so kind, we need a blood sample from each of you!" Monet smiled trustingly, holding up a syringe. She went to Maddy first, bending over and taking her hand in her bird wing. "And what's your name, sweetheart?"

"Hey, feathers off!" Maddy yelled, whipping her hand back. "If anything, I've caught the metacooties."

"Hm hm hm!" Monet laughed warmingly. "You needn't fear from that!" With that, she stuck the syringe in and extracted blood from Maddy's hand.

Caesar knelt by Dillon with his own syringe. "And who are YOU, young man?" he grinned.

"Dillon York! This is my shadow, Mario!" Dillon's shadow waved.

"Oooh, a shadowbender!" Caesar perked, extracting Dillon's blood. "And what a FASCINATING name! You come from New York?"

"Heh heh, no!" Dillon smiled. "Quahog!"

"OOOOH, Quahoooog! Cleveland break any good bathtubs lately?" he winked.

"Ha ha!"

Monet then went to collected blood from Kaleo. "And who are YOU, little cutie?"

"Are you going to digest my brain for coal? ?" Kaleo exclaimed.

"Trust me, YOU wouldn't WANNA eat his brain." Maddy remarked.

Finally, Caesar went to get blood from Haruka. "And who are YOU… Dearie?" he grinned.

"My name's Haruka Dimalanta! I'm a poisonbender, too!"

Caesar's smile vanished, hearing that name. "Ehhh… Dimalanta?"

"Y-Yeah!... Is there a problem?"

"Just making sure I heard it right!" he grinned, patting her head.

"Great. So what'd you need the blood samples for?" Maddy asked.

"Each person receives the disease in different ways." Caesar explained. "This usually results in a variety of genetic codes, which all need to be treated in a particular way! It usually requires more than one sample over time, but a cure should come underway before long! In the meantime… here's some candy for being SOOO cooperative!" he grinned wider as he held up five pieces of butterscotch.

"Oooh, candy!" Haruka exclaimed as she took a piece. Kaleo swiped his and immediately began chewing on it, as did Zach. Maddy, having no trust for this man, merely stashed her candy up her sleeve for now. Haruka didn't eat hers either, wanting to save it for Lee.

"Now, come along and we'll show you to the playroom!" Caesar beamed.  
"Follow me, kids!" With that, the gassy man led them down the hall.

Soon, they arrived at the huge, colorful playroom, and were surprised at how many kids were there as well. The walls around the playroom were painted like a bright-blue sky with many white clouds. "HELLO, everyone! We got five more playmates just READY to have fun!" Caesar exclaimed.

"HI, NEW KIDS!" the children exclaimed.

"Well, isn't _this_ the carnival of freaks…" Maddy remarked quietly, taken aback by the variety of kids. There were giant kids, Merpeople, Nimbi, Minish, Kateenians… And a majority of them were wearing white shirts, white shorts, and plain white shoes.

"Hey, wanna have a ROOTBEER contest? ?" a Kateenian asked.

"Okay!" Kaleo exclaimed, hurrying over.

"Hey, who wants to play Sooper Dodgeball?" a giant boy asked, holding up a giant red rubber ball.

"Oooh, this I gotta see!" Zach perked, hurrying over as the giants ran to the other end, creating quakes with each stomp.

"Well, may as well get settled in." Dillon said to Maddy as they walked forward.

"Hey, look, a bunny!" one of the giant boys exclaimed as some kids gathered around a blue and yellow rabbit.

"Gyom, gyooom?..." the rabbit looked confused.

"Nnn? When did we get a bunny?" Caesar asked.

"I think he showed up when we brought the haul of Water 7 kids." Monet answered. "I asked them, but they said it wasn't theirs."

"Hmmmm… how interesting." Caesar rubbed his chin in thought, then sported his grin. "Send another shipment out to look for more kids! Perhaps I can find a-" They turned around to leave, but stopped when Haruka appeared in their way, a bright smile on her face.

"Hey, Mr. Caesar! I don't mean to trouble you, but, you see, I'm kind of in the medical field myself, and, well, I was wondering if I could help you with your research, and exchange ideas! I'd love to develop my poisonbending skills further, too!"

"Shurororo!" Caesar laughed jauntily, patting Haruka's head. "I'd love to, my darling! But I'm afraid finding a cure is MUCH too complicated! I need to devote all the time that I can! You understand, right?"

"Um… I guess." Haruka looked disappointed.

"Great! Well, I'll see you later!" he waved as they walked out. "And don't forget to Smile!" he grinned widely as they shut the door.

"Hm…" Haruka looked toward the playroom, smiling humorously. "Who is he, Sheila?..."

While Dillon was off playing with some of the gargoyles, Maddy was simply walking toward the left wall of the room. "Hey!" she looked up when a giant girl smiled down at her, standing behind a slide on Maddy's right. The girl had messy, bushy black hair, and grayish-purple eyes. "My name's Mocha! What's your name?"

"Maddy… you want something?" she asked rudely.

"Me and the girls were gonna braid hair! Wanna join us?"

"No thanks…" Mocha frowned as Maddy went to sit with her back against the sky-blue wall. "I'd rather just wait until Caesar says I can leave. Since I try not to ASSOCIATE with those people, I shouldn't be long."

"…" Mocha looked confused. "Okay… but feel free to come if you change your mind." With that, the giant walked away.

Maddy proceeded to lie down in attempt to fall asleep. From behind the slide, the blue rabbit stared at her confused. "Gyom-gyooom…"

**Water 7** (Play "Refusal Will Not Be Tolerated" from _Batman: Arkham City_.)

The night sky was cloudy and snowy over Water 7 as Sandman, Coldman, and Wiccan finally arrived. They dropped from their Sandmobile and took land on one of the many rooftops. "Hmmm… town's a _little_ bigger than I thought." Nolan observed.

"_My_, but just look at that fountain." Crystal said, her purple eyes fixated on the tremendous mountain that sat in the city's center. "…And look!" she noticed the humongous treehouse towering over the fountain. "A Kids Next Door is here, too!"

"Alright, guys, split up and look for clues." Nolan ordered. "And Yuki… try not to fall in any rivers."

"Siiigh." The icebender sighed.

With that, Crystal flew off using her staff and Yuki flew using an ice path. Nolan activated a glider in his wheelchair and began to fly across the rooftops (he would like anyone to keep any comments about ripping off Batman to themselves ;) ).

As Nolan soared across this region of the city, he had to admit it had a nice atmosphere. The roaring waterfalls from the giant fountain echoed across the town, easing their minds. Nolan had activated special goggles built into his mask, and was using Detective Vision to skim the town. The people and Yagaras were represented as blue skeletons; it got rather confusing since there were so many. Other objects of significance were represented as orange.

Nolan's search found nothing so far, until his Detective Vision detected rapid soundwaves coming from a few streets away, and a child's skeleton was frantically moving about the street. Nolan turned up his eavesdropper to pick up this girl's soundwaves. _"Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ?"_

Nolan glided over and switched off his Vision, finding a yellow-haired, pigtailed girl rapidly searching under every little box or snow pile. "Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ? Gonbe? ? UU-" Sandman suddenly dropped down and grabbed her in his arm, holding her mouth shut as he zipped back to the rooftop via grapple hook. "EEAAAAHHH! !" Chimney frantically tried to shake away. "HELP ME! ! HELP ME! ! I've been kidnapped! AAAAAHH!"

"CALM down!" Nolan demanded, forcefully setting her on her feet. "Now what were you doing out here? ?"

"OOUUUUH MR. SAND-SAAAN!" Chimney began crying, still grinning widely. "IT'S TERRIBLE! I LOST MY LITTLE NEKO-CHAAAN! GOONBEEEEEE!"

"QUIET! !" Nolan screamed, and Chimney snapped her mouth shut in a second. "Look… when was the last time you've SEEN your friend?"

"I just told him to watch the on'nanokos and he was GOOOOOOOONE." She wept more, putting an arm over her eyes.

"Maybe he was upset?"

"UPSET? !" Chimney leapt onto Nolan's lap and clutched his hood tight, glaring at his masked eyes with rage. "GONBE NEVER GETS UPSET WITH ME! ! NEEEVEEEERRR!" she shook him forcefully.

"OKAY, OKAY!" Nolan pulled her off. "Ugh… alright, I'll help you look for it. I mean, who knows, it might actually help… what kind of animal is it again?"

"He's a neko-chan, duuuuh! A cat-san!"

"Oh, a cat! Okay… that shouldn't be too hard. I'll look for any clues I find, but why don't you get home? It's getting late."

"Not until you find my neko first!"

"Siiiigh." With that, Sandman switched on his Detective Mode and started gliding across the city some more. The majority of it was pretty boring. Nothing looked too out-of-the-ordinary. Until he arrived at a vacant canal road and noticed a single object glowing blue in an alley. Sandman glided down and discovered it was a dead, rotting fish. "Whoa. This must've been here for weeks." The Sandman zoomed in and scanned the rotting animal. "Let's rewind this back to when it was, well, better."

Nolan continued to scan, and slowly, a holographic vision started to play, in reverse, in which a little rabbit was walking backward with the fish in his mouth. When the projection started playing normally, Nolan observed, "Hmmm… well, it wasn't a cat… but a rabbit caught this fish from somewhere." The holographic rabbit set the fish down and started to gnaw on it. "The fish has rabbit-like bite marks, so it would make sense. …But he stopped eating after a few seconds." The rabbit perked up and walked to his left. "Something caught his attention." He shut his Vision off. "I have to find out what."

Sandman decided to scan around the area. It wasn't long before he discovered a pair of fallen teeth in the clear spots on the ground. Nolan scanned the teeth, and another projection began to rewind. "There were a pair of kids playing a game," holographic kids were excitedly kicking a ball around, and the ball suddenly came flying at the rabbit, "but they hit the rabbit by accident." The holographic kids stood over the fallen rabbit for a while before deciding to carry it off. "They took the rabbit away… but I can't pick up where they went after that." He switched the projection off. "I wonder if those kids were the ones missing? Maybe I can find more."

Nolan decided to scan the area further. Along the sidewalk, there were tiny spots of dried blood. "Ahhha. The rabbit bled a little after it was struck. I'll follow the trail and see where they brought him." And so, Sandman began to roll along the sidewalk, following the dried blood trail. His path led him into a market street, in which he had to jump a river to follow the trail across, then through another alleyway. His trail eventually led him into a darker, more broken area of the town. He was led all the way to the end of a long alley, where the door to a building sat beside a window with a light on inside.

Nolan gently knocked on the door. A chubby woman with orange hair and a yellow tank-top; with many pink flowers, answered the door with a creepy grin. "Well, hello, theeeere! Another child ready to join my family!"

"Wh-What? ! No, I-"

"Come on in, Dearie!" the woman grabbed Nolan by the shoulder and forcefully dragged him in. "Here's your brother!"

Nolan raised a brow behind his mask. "…Yuki?"

"Yeah…" the Eskimo-themed hero sat at a table. "Kinda got pulled in when I tried to interview her."

"Boyyys, you're just in time for dinner!" the woman grinned as she stirred something in her boiling pot.

"Ugh, we don't have time for dinner!" Nolan refuted. "Look, do you have any other kids? ? Do you have a rabbit, maybe?"

"Oooh, I had kids, but they went missing after I sent them to get groceries a few weeks ago. I sent the little rabbit to go find them, but he never came back, either."

"Didn't you try to LOOK for them? ?" Yuki questioned.

"Oh, noooo! But they ALWAYS come baaack! Oooh, I hope they didn't drown…" she still kept her grin.

"…" Nolan looked disbelieved. "Well, do you have anything that belonged to your kids? I can probably find them."

"Ohhh, this was Junior's favorite bottle!" the woman grinned brightly, holding up a baby bottle. "I put soda in it once, and he just couldn't let go!"

Nolan took the bottle and started to scan it for DNA. "Still fresh, thankfully. I should be able to find where this drool came from."

Nolan's communicator rang, and he answered as Wiccan spoke. _"Nolan? Yuki? You better hurry to the eastern docks. A bunch of men in… protection uniforms just arrived."_

"Let's go, Yuk." Nolan said as he rolled himself out.

"I'll just stick your dinner in the fridge, deeeeariiiies!" the woman sang.

"Don't wait up for us, Lady!" Yuki called.

The two hurried and hopped across the many rooftops to Crystal's location. They found their friend stood atop a roof, and joined her quietly. "Look." she whispered, pointing over the edge. They peeked over and saw four men in yellow protection suits standing before a boat, guns ready.

"Alright, the Master says there might be more kids here." One of them explained. "You two spread out and find them, we'll stand guard." With that, two of the men walked opposite directions down the street.

"I bet these guys have something to do with it." Nolan knew. "Yuki, Crystal, take those guys out." He pointed at the ones down the street.

Crystal hurried across the roofs to the farthest one and dropped lightly on her feet. She walked over quietly before jumping and kicking him to the ground, afterward bashing his protected head with her staff and knocking him out. Yuki quietly approached the closer one, merely touching his shoulder to freeze him completely solid. As for the ones by the boat, Nolan landed behind both of them. He weakly stood up from his wheelchair and held both fists by the sides of their heads. He SLAMMED his fists to both heads, smashing them into each other before they lost consciousness.

With that, Nolan sat back down as Coldman and Wiccan soon joined him. _"Heeeeeey!"_ they looked down the road, seeing Chimney dashing over to them. "Oi, haven't you otona-sans found my neko-chan yeeeeet? ?"

"Look, I don't know where your cat is, but we've picked up the trail on this rabbit. We think he's with a bunch of other missing kids." Nolan explained.

"And you really should put on some better protection, little girl." Crystal told her, noticing Chimney's exposed arms and legs, and wearing only sandals on her feet. "You'll catch frostbite."

"DON'T CRITICIZE MY FASHION-SENSE, JOSEI-SAAAAN! And where is my cat? !"

"FORGET about your cat!" Nolan demanded. "And just get home! If your cat is with the other kids, I promise I'll bring him back, but everyone else comes first."

"Huff." Chimney proceeded to stomp off angrily. "I'll show YOU what comes first, super-saaan!"

"What a nutcase." Nolan remarked as the three boarded the boat.

"Soooo where are we going again?" Crystal asked.

"I used my Detective Vision to track the whereabouts of a rabbit." Nolan explained.

"You just _looooove_ ripping off Batman, huh?" Crystal remarked.

"Uuugh. Anyway, then I found the whereabouts of a mom's missing kids; or at least her baby. We're going to follow their signal and find where they landed. But for the sake of stealth, we're riding this boat there, so they don't suspect. Alright, let's go."

And so, the ship began to sail away from the island, across the distant nighttime sea. "Why were those men wearing those things, anyway?" Crystal asked.

"Germ freaks?" Yuki inquired, raising a brow.

"It had to be from something." Nolan figured. "I wonder where this signal is, anyway." Nolan looked at his wristwatch terminal, bringing up a map of the region. The location the signal was coming from was marked, so Nolan closed in. "Oh? Hmm…"

"What is it?" Crystal asked.

"Hmmm… I'm not entirely sure on the story. But… we're going to Punk Hazard."

* * *

**Well… at least I got something ELSE done. Next time, we'll be arriving at Caesar's island, which is Punk Hazard. So see you then. Oh… and by the way… there's a stowaway aboard their boat right now. ;)**


End file.
